✦ New — your AI can run your retainers

Get Paid on Autopilot

Proposals, contracts, e-signature, and recurring Stripe billing in one link — with a 0% platform fee, so every dollar lands in your account.

30-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked.

0%

platform fees — you keep every dollar

1 link

proposal → signed → paid

MCP

built in — Claude runs your retainers

Your whole business, one dashboard.Live demo — click the menu to explore.

Good morning

Friday, June 20

Monthly recurring

$4,820+12%

Pipeline

Lead
Proposal
Contract
Active

Clients

12

Retainers

7

Unpaid

$1.5k

Waiting

3

0%
Platform fee — vs ~3% on other tools
1 link
Proposal, contract, e-signature & payment
$34.99
Flat monthly — no seat limits, no percentage
MCP
Built-in — your AI runs the account

New — works with your AI

Don't open the dashboard. Just ask your AI.

RetainerBase ships a built-in MCP server, so Claude — or any AI assistant that speaks MCP — can run your client business for you. Check who's overdue, chase payments, spin up new retainers, and pull revenue numbers, all in plain English.

  • “Who owes me money?” — instant overdue report
  • “Send Jane a firm payment reminder” — email goes out
  • “Set up a $3,000/month retainer for Acme” — client + billing created
Connect your AI
retainerbase.ai/mcp

Add the server to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client. One-click setup in Settings.

Claude · connected to RetainerBase
Who owes me money right now?
get_billing_status
Two clients are overdue: Acme Corp — $1,500, 12 days late, and Studio North — $800, 5 days late. Want me to send reminders?
Yes — firm tone for Acme, friendly for Studio North.
send_payment_reminder
Done. Both reminders are sent with their payment links included. Acme has now been reminded 3 times — flag them if this one goes unanswered too?

You could duct-tape this together. Here's why you won't want to.

Stripe + a Google Doc
With RetainerBase
Write the proposal in Docs, hope they sign
Client signs a binding e-signature in the browser
Manually create a Stripe subscription each time
The retainer bills automatically the moment they sign
Chase late payments yourself
Automatic reminders do the chasing
Re-explain project status over email
Clients get a live portal — no login required
Four tools, nothing connected
One flow, from signed to paid

Stripe moves the money. A Google Doc holds the words. RetainerBase is the system that connects signed → scheduled → paid so none of it lands on your to-do list.

Features

Everything you need to run a retainer-based business.

Not a generic project-management tool with a payment form bolted on. Built for freelancers — and any business that bills clients on retainer.

Know where
every client stands.

A visual pipeline moves clients from first contact to signed contract to active retainer — drag them between stages, track deal value, and never forget a follow-up.

Lead1
Nova Films
$2.5k
Proposal2
Bright Co
$1.8k
Lumen
$3.0k
Active1
Aria Mok
$1.5k/mo

Proposal, contract,
and payment — one link.

Send a proposal with services, pricing, and contract terms. Clients review, sign with a binding e-signature, and the retainer activates automatically — without ever leaving the page.

Proposal
Social Media — Q3
Monthly retainer$1,500/mo
Content shoot$800
Total$2,300
Signed by Jane Smith

Get paid every month.
Automatically.

Retainers are Stripe subscriptions that live in your own account — money lands directly in your bank and we take a 0% platform fee, so you keep 100%. Failed cards get a retry email automatically, no awkward follow-ups from you.

$1,500
Retainer paid · Aria Mok
Auto-charged · next on the 1st

Everything else

Everything your clients touch.

Client portal — no login

Every client gets a private link to view projects, sign documents, submit content, and pay invoices. No accounts, no passwords.

Recurring retainer billing

Retainers are Stripe subscriptions in your own account. Money lands directly in your bank — 0% platform fee, you keep 100%.

AI integration (MCP)

Connect Claude or any MCP-enabled AI to check who's overdue, chase payments, and set up retainers in plain English.

Questionnaires

Reusable intake forms to collect exactly what you need before kickoff — sent as a link, answered in the portal.

Pipeline & tracking

Lead → proposal → contract → active → complete. Drag clients between stages, visible to them in real time.

Automatic payment recovery

When a card fails, we email the client a retry link automatically — no awkward follow-ups from you.

Comparison

How we compare.

Most all-in-one tools are bloated and pricey, and skim a percentage of every payment. RetainerBase is focused, cheaper, and takes 0% of your client payments — you keep every dollar.

FeatureRetainerBaseOther tools
Monthly price$34.99/mo$36–$109/mo
Platform fee on payments0%3%
Payments to your own Stripe account
Recurring retainer billing
Proposals + contracts
E-signature
Client portal (no login)
Automatic dunning emails
Scheduler
AI assistant integration (MCP)
AutomationsComing soon

Pricing

Simple, honest pricing.

No percentage fees. No seat limits. No surprises.

Monthly

$34.99/month

or $349/year — 2 months free

After founding spots fill. Cancel anytime.

  • Pipeline + CRM
  • Proposals & e-signature
  • Contracts
  • Retainer billing
  • Invoice management
  • Client portal
  • Questionnaires
20 spots · limited

Founding member

$99once

Pay once. Lifetime access. All future features included.

  • Everything in Monthly
  • All future features
  • Priority support
  • No monthly fees, ever
  • Founding member access

30-day refund policy. No questions asked.

Questions

How does the free trial work?

Sign up and explore the full dashboard before paying — add clients, connect Stripe, try the tools. When you're ready to start collecting live payments, pick a plan.

What happens to my clients if I cancel?

Your clients' active Stripe subscriptions keep running — they pay directly into your connected Stripe account. Canceling RetainerBase only removes your dashboard access.

Does RetainerBase take a cut of my payments?

No. Payments go directly from your clients into your own Stripe account via Stripe Connect. We charge a flat monthly fee, never a percentage.

Is the $99 lifetime deal really forever?

Yes. First 20 founding members pay once and get access for the operational lifetime of the product, including all future features. After 20 spots, price moves to $34.99/month.

Can my clients use the portal without creating an account?

Yes. The client portal is link-based — no login required. You share a unique link per client and they can view projects, sign documents, and pay invoices directly.

What's the difference between a retainer and an invoice?

A retainer is a recurring monthly subscription (billed automatically every month via Stripe). An invoice is a one-time payment for project work or expenses.

Can my AI assistant manage RetainerBase for me?

Yes. RetainerBase includes a built-in MCP server, so Claude — or any AI that supports the Model Context Protocol — can check who owes you money, send payment reminders, set up retainers, and pull revenue summaries. Generate an API key in Settings, paste it into your AI's connectors, and you're done.

Stop chasing payments. Start building.

20 founding spots at $99 lifetime. After that, $34.99/month.